My love for Oswald
by loopillop
Summary: An unlikely villain and an unexpected love.
1. Chapter 1 Gotham's legal slaughter

Chapter 1 Gotham's legal slaughter

First off, just to let you guys know. I'm a staunch vegan. My only love in life is animals, all of them. Cows, pigs, chickens, frogs, horses, bears, tigers, cats. You name an animal, I will love it dearly. I mean how is it fair that animals are forced into slaughter houses and cages where they can hardly breathe and can't even move enough to spread their wings or lie down. Must be some sort of hell. We shouldn't eat animals, they're not here for us to eat and consume, like ravenous monsters. They are here for us to look after and protect. And that is why I am doing what I am doing. That is why I fight for animal rights every single day. I do hold a certain degree of hope that one day all animals will be free and treated with same dignity as humans, admittedly it gets increasingly difficult as the day's pass. Maybe it's Gotham. Maybe it's the crime, the death, the murders, the fires, the constant grey sky, the lack of ambition, hope, love. One day I will leave this tainted city, but for now I must stay for the animal's sake. Gotham crawls with animal torture; Slaughter houses, people breeding dogs for fighting, cock fighting, animal testing laboratories. No, I must stay. My misery living here is nothing compared to that of the animals.


	2. Chapter 2 Anni Mal'e

Chapter 2 Anni Mal'e

So yeah, believe it or not I do get made fun of for my name. Hard to believe, right? I don't mind it though, it fits I guess. As I mention before I have a deep love for all animals, but if you're wondering if I have a favourite, I do. I hold a very soft spot in my heart for penguins. They always make me smile. Maybe it's the way they walk or their cute little face.

There's a protest today, outside the biggest slaughter house in the city. Masses of big lorries the size of double decker buses come here every day. The day is ended by rivers of blood pouring down the streets into the drains, and people leaving (who arrived in pure white) covered in dark red. Have they no conscience? Have they no guilt? Fucking murderers. They're the ones who should be slaughtered day in and day out. Everyone was facing forward with their placards and banners, so they could be seen by the media, taking pictures and interviewing some of the animal lovers. Caught up by the crowd, I pushed my way to the back to get some air. That's when I realised someone was coming out of the hellish building. Looking at them, the man caught my glare and smirked. His gloves were dripping with animal's blood. He took off his glasses and got in his car. No one noticed the monster, I was the only one, being so far behind and everyone else was so caught up with the flashes and shouting of the press. My instinct told me to march up to him and shake him so violently until the evil came out. I went with my instinct.

'You're a monster!' I snarled at the disgusting human being inside his car. He continued to keep smiling at me. 'How the fuck so you even sleep at night?!' His smile grew winder. The more he smiled at me, the more furious I became. 'Answer me you evil bastard!' Instead of smiling, he began laughing. At this point I was shaking and tears were streaming down my cheeks. Heat like I have never felt poured through my veins. 'THE SLAUGHTERER IS HERE!' Within seconds' hundreds of people surrounded his car. Screams and hate filled the air. One of the protesters began spray painting something on his car, another spat, one protester threw his shoe at the car window. Cameras surrounded us and the media went wild with frenzy. Without thinking, I grabbed a small slate that was leant against the entrance of the building. It was the only thing in sight that was big enough to cause any sort of damage. As I stormed back to the car, I pushed people out of the way so they wouldn't get hurt. Next thing I knew, the car window was smashed. The protesters screamed with delight and the monster inside the car looked petrified. For a moment, I made eye contact with him, it was my turn to smirk.

Shit. I heard sirens, this wasn't good. RUN! To give myself credit, I made it half way down the street until I got cuffed. 'You're coming with me.' It was the infamous Jim Gordon. I instantly recognised him from the papers and the tv. Out of breath and crying, I attempted to apologise, but decided to save it for the station. He dragged me to the police van, where a bunch of other protesters sat and looked defeated. 'That's the last of them.' The police van door slammed shut as I hung my head with shame. Great, now I'll have a criminal record. I despise criminals and the way they ruin this city, and now I'm one of them. Throughout my life, I have had the upmost respect for the law and justice, but where was the justice here? We're getting arrested for trying to save others more vulnerable than us, when a murderous monster is driving away to get on with his care free life.


	3. Chapter 3 a penguin's sanctuary

Chapter 3 a penguin's sanctuary

Three days have passed since the protest. I was released with no charge, because I haven't committed a crime before the incident and I am of good character. So, a slap on the wrist so to speak. I am trying my best not to dwell on the situation, as it gets me down. Jim Gordon warned me to stay away from demonstrations and protests for a while because I could get caught up in the moment again. He seems like a nice person trying to do the right thing, but so am I.

To cheer me up my best friend is coming over soon, we're going to the penguin sanctuary. She knows penguins are my favourite and always make me smile and she knows how down I have been down over the past few days so she's taking me. The word penguin also sends shivers down my spine. I know that there are criminals and gangsters in this city. I have heard the word penguin many a time used for a notorious law breaker. Apparently, he runs the slums of Gotham, and has killed hundreds of people in the process. Obviously, he has no heart or soul. It's unfair that something so cute and innocent shares the same name as something so cruel and devious.

'Awh, they're really cute up close, aren't they?' Jen stated as she tapped on the glass. My heart sank when I realised the conditions they were living in. One penguin was sat on his own with a puddle and a background which was painted to look like the arctic. He stood on a rock, with his head and beak looking down into the water at his pitiful existence. My heart broke for him. Looking through another glass window, I realised the conditions were just as grim. Three penguins huddled into one corner, as one was lying down in the middle of the room. The penguin that was lying down looked as if he was dying. All of them looked undernourished and unloved. Fury built up inside me. 'You okay Ann?' Jen asked looking concerned. 'You know what's wrong.' Maybe I sounded too stern, I didn't mean to take it out on her, I was just so fed up of seeing animals like this. 'some kind of fucking sanctuary hey?' As we carried on looking through the glass at the mournful scene she suggested we complain to a member of staff about the conditions. I could see through the other side a member of staff, but looked like they were busy as someone was speaking to them. 'That's penguin!' gasped Jen. 'I know they're penguins.' I replied looking at her as she stated the plain obvious. 'No, the man over there talking to the member of staff, that's penguin, the gangster!' It can't be, she had it wrong. Looking through the glass made it difficult to see through the other side. How does she know that's him from a blurred vison and the back of someone's head? 'How the fuck would you know that?', 'I know that limp anywhere, and he's pretty short and he's like the only one with that hairstyle in the city. Just trust me, it is.'

Sneaking around the wall of the enclosure, I peered my head around the corner. Jen was underneath me poking her head around too, it was like a scene out of a movie. Now I could see him in plain sight. An unwelcome chill embraced my spine. I couldn't see the front of him, I could only make out his silhouette and that he was shouting. 'Can't you see they're living miserable lives?! One of them is dead. If you don't sort this place out and make sure they have the most luxurious lives anyone could ever wish for, I will kill you and everyone that works here myself. That is a promise.'

Me and Jen swiftly moved to the position we were in before, looking at the poor creatures through the glass. 'Oh, fuck, that actually just happened' Jen shakily mumbled. As I was about to give her an answer, his face appeared on the other side of the glass. As soon as we realised it was him, we ducked down quickly. My heart was pounding. Then, I felt something strange, something was telling me to look. Slowly adjusting my head so I could just about see, Jen tugged at me. 'What the fuck are you doing?!' truth be told, I didn't know. A warm chill embraced my entire body, but this time it was different. He was so beautiful, stunning even. He was like nothing or no one I have ever seen before. Spikes of jet black hair hung closely to his forehead, they stood out against his pale, paper white skin. His eyes filled with sadness and brimmed with tears as he looked at the penguin standing closest to the glass. As he wept, I couldn't believe what I saw before me. He wasn't a monster. He was a beautiful, compassionate man. His pale hand delicately graced the window, as his strikingly long, thin fingers stroked the glass. I wanted this moment to last forever. 'Fucking scary, isn't he?' I barely took notice of what she said. 'No Jen, he's...'

Shit, he saw me. His eyes met mine. Immediately he wiped his tears away from his cheek. Never in my life have I felt so scared, why wouldn't my body move? My instinct screamed at me to look away and get down, but I couldn't, my eyes would not budge from his gaze. To my surprise, he smiled at me. Just a small one, then he turned around and walked away.


	4. Chapter 4 4 years later

Chapter 4

4 years later

So tonight, is the big one, Throughout the years I have taken part in endless demonstrations, marches and protests all in the name of animal rights, but I have never broken in somewhere to free animals before. Admittedly, there has always been a part of me that had wanted to, but I guess I had been too scared of doing something illegal. Yes, I am petrified of the consequences that tonight could possibly bring with it, strangely I also feel empowered by the thought of rescuing these poor creatures from the hell they are currently existing in. Three more hours to go…

They said they would be here! Twelve thirty on the dot and I am alone, no one to be seen for miles. How I thought that wearing a balaclava and dressing entirely in black would reduce my worry, I don't know. It hasn't, in fact anxiety is rushing through every vein in my entire body. Maybe pacing would help? Okay, that didn't help either, my heart just pounded faster and I began violently shaking.

Footsteps were becoming increasingly apparent. Struggling to catch my breath, I fell back against the cold brick wall. 'Annie?' A heavy sigh of relief escaped my wreck of a body. Ben had recently joined the animal liberation front, he looked equally, if not more shook up than I currently was. 'You scared the shit out of me!' his face held an apologetic demise momentarily, quickly replaced by a look of fear as we both remembered where we were and what our purpose was.

Two more nail biting minutes was all we had to endure until the three other activists appeared. Mary, the leader of the group, persuaded me to come tonight. She told me persistently throughout my activism that its very rarely that something goes wrong and anyone gets in trouble or caught. That so much planning and consideration goes into something such as this, and I should rest my worrisome mind. Mary looked surprisingly calm and collective as she went over the plan and the instructions one last time. My job was simple. My job was to collect the key from behind the reception desk, the one that was labelled 'room 32' and with this I was to go down the corridor and on my first right go up one flight of stairs, and the door would be the first one on the right. All I had to do was unlock the door and get as much of the rabbits I could get from the cages and take them out with me.


	5. Chapter 5 All life is valuable

Chapter 5

All life is valuable

The keys kept falling out of my hands, they were too sweaty. My mind was elsewhere, and being clumsy was part of my forte. The vague squeaks and whines from the rabbits inside the door helped me focus on the job. And with that the door was unlocked. All existing feelings of uncertainty and nervousness instantaneously deceased. My soul internally wept for the helpless creatures. One rabbit sat in the corner of the cage, I couldn't tell if the poor thing was alive. We made eye contact for a brief second, his eyes were swollen, as a single tear shredded from him, and some of his fur was ripped off, showing forever scars and deep wounds. After everything these animals endure what these humans do to them, the rabbit looked at me for protection, he stared at me with trusting, loving eyes. Tears shot down my face uncontrollably. I twisted and turned the cage door, until it sprung loose, the rabbit didn't bite me or look even look hesitant as I held it close to my warm body. Time had no time for us, I knew the key was to be quick, but I wanted more than anything to give this poor creature a moment of love before I did anything else. So, that is what I did. His head snuggled into me as I rocked him gently whilst I hummed.

'Put the rabbit back in the cage now!' Fuck. My heart stopped. Numbness spread throughout me. Slowly, I turned around. Directly in front of me was a security guard. He was a fat guy, relatively short in stature. Sweat trickled down his face as he'd probably been running to find me. He made a stride toward me. Naturally, I stepped back. 'Put it back in the cage, I won't ask you again.' Taking some deep breaths, I finally found the courage to speak. 'Please, surely you don't agree with these animals being kept here? They suffer so much, I just want to give them their life back.' My words seemed not to matter as he persisted closer and closer. It was become more challenging to catch my breath. 'Please!' I pleaded, over and over. His greasy, dirty hand grabbed my arm and pulled me violently. The rabbit fell to the floor. At that moment, a piece of my soul died. We both looked at the miserable animal as it let out a cry. It could still be saved. I quickly knelt to pick him up. It was too late.

His foot came crashing down, before I had chance to do anything, he squashed the rabbit before my eyes. All that remained was a pile of blood and little broken bones. He looked amused as he attempted to scrape the remains of his boot. My heart had never raced this fast before, although I wasn't even thinking about that. Adrenaline and rage, pumped violently throughout my entire being and I could feel it throbbing. Without thinking, I started throwing open draws, I didn't even understand myself why I was doing this, until I found a draw containing sharp surgical equipment. Taking the largest, razor sharp tool I could see, I went for him. 'What do you think you're doing?! Put that back immediately! There are cameras in here!' Nothing mattered anymore, it was just words, words that had no meaning. To my benefit, he was large, easy to trip up. Realising this, I pushed him, he fell to the cold ground, just like the rabbit. Where did this strength come from? It seemed my adrenaline aided me. Putting my full weight on him, I looked upon him. Sweat poured from his face and leaked onto his greasy double chin. I held the tool against his throat. Barely able to speak he muttered, 'you're going to kill me because of a fucking rabbit?' I shook my head in disgust. I slashed his throat, over and over. Sideways, then I penetrated his neck with the tool. Blood covered everything that lay before me. I didn't stop until he was still. As my breath came back to me, I removed myself from the fresh corpse and spectated the entire crime scene.

Fuck.


	6. Chapter 6 Penguin

Chapter 5

Penguin

What the fuck have I done? After standing looking at the blood-soaked body for what seemed like an eternity, I still couldn't grip the reality of the situation. Blood seeped against my shoe, like the tide washing up against the shore. Footsteps were approaching. It was most probably the GCPD, although I tried to panic, I failed. This wasn't real.

A distinct figure then appeared at the door, my first instinct ordered me to drop the tool. As it hit the floor it made a heavy, metal, clanging sound. They had a scarf that covered half of their face. All that was visible was the person's eyes and black hair. Considering they were spectating a murder scene right before them, the person didn't seem phased by the sight. 'Okay, so… so get all of the rabbits you can and follow me.' I recognised that soft, husky voice. Although I couldn't recall. 'I guess this is your first kill then?' All I could possibly do was stand there motionless. The mysterious person sighed, then proceeded to look me directly in the eyes. 'look, if you don't start moving, the GCPD will be sure to catch you, just…just come with me and I'll make sure nothing bad happens to you.' Staring into his light, green eyes, I was certain that I had gazed deeply into them once before.

Okay, he was right, if I didn't move right now, the police would be soon to arrive, and I would be in prison for life. My mind was on auto piolet, as I opened the cages and held all the rabbits that I possibly could. We ran. We flew through the soulless corridors and rushed down the stairs until a door was in sight. The other animal liberators must have already left before us as rats, rabbits and mice were covering the grass outside of the hell. The alarm was now howling as I followed the silhouette to what I assumed was his car. I threw open a car door and started placing the animals in the back seats. Sirens were distant, but were quickly approaching. I swiftly got into the back seat of the car and slammed the door shut. We were off. The car tyres screeched as we swerved and plummeted into oblivion. City lights flew by and blended into one, until eventually the city dimmed and seemed to fade into the distance.

The battered car pulled up into a lengthy, twisty driveway. As the car stopped, the driver turned to face me. Night was heavy upon us, and was difficult to make out who the person was. The shadow pulled down his scarf, and switched on a light inside the car. Fuck. He hadn't changed at all. His jet black, spikey hair. His dazzling, green eyes. His soft, pale skin. His eyes graced the animals on the seats, then he stared into my eyes, with a wonderful, playful smile he then proceeded, 'Hi, I'm Oswald.'


	7. Chapter 7 The mansion

Chapter 7

The mansion

Gothic laced quilts and a dark velvet throw entangled and welcomed me as I awoke from my eternal slumber. How was it still dark outside? Had I slept all this time? Surely, I hadn't slept from one night until the next, it wasn't possible! However, the darkness of the evening glow proved me wrong. Suddenly, flashbacks from last night forcefully thrust themselves onto me with no warning. I had murdered a person. My heart sank deep into the depths of my being. Yet again, I could not control my breathing. Refusing to believe the reality of the situation, I slowly sunk lower into the four-poster bed until I was hiding within the many layers of sheets.

The bedroom was a gothic masterpiece envisaged from a vampire's dream. Dark purple drapes and elegant tapestry hung from the large, Victorian walls. The musky smell of burning incense grimaced the entire room and a vase full of fresh crimson roses sat on the window frame. Gazing out of the gigantic, dust covered window, I attempted to take in the wonderful view. The garden never seized to end, with endless trees and countless wildlife. Gotham is all I have ever known, but from here it was a mere pin prick in the far distance. Gotham hangs under a constant spell of grey and colourless gloom, whereas here the grass spilled with lush, vibrant green. Gotham shrieks and screams fall heavy into the night, but here the house welcomed peace and resounding calmness. I picked up one of the roses and held it under my nose, the smell reminded me of when I was a child. I felt at peace.

A heavy knock on the enormous wooden door abruptly broke the deafening silence as it resounded throughout the room. 'Hello?' A soft, light voice questioned on the other side. Throwing on the silk gown that hung on the door, I gradually opened it and beheld a small, plump friendly looking woman smiling back at me. 'Oswald asks how you are, he wants you to join him for supper. Please come, I've just boiled the kettle.' Her surprisingly soft Russian accent put me immediately at ease. I returned a small smile. 'Sure, I'll change and join him.' After that, she hummed as she proceeded down the dim, stretching corridor. Oh my. Until now my thoughts had been far too clouded to let Oswald cross my mind. So, Oswald was his real name. This guy is a notorious gangster, why was he at the testing site? Why did he care so much for the animals? Why did he help me?

Dwindling down the never-ending, sombre corridors, I admired each painting and its detail along the way. Lost was not the word. These windy corridors had no end to them. An eternity passed until I eventually approached the master stairs which lead to the main rooms on the bottom floor. I eagerly followed their lead and hastily ended up in front of a grand door, which murmurs seemed to be pouring from. I was moments away from being in the presence of a criminal mastermind. Various thoughts and feelings encompassed me.


	8. Chapter 8 The proposal

Chapter 8

The proposal

Oswald immediately arose from his throne like chair as I hesitantly entered the dimly lit room. The room was made for a king. He could sense I was fearful. Not so much of him, but of the situation. I had murdered someone and had to accept the fact that I would probably be on the run for the rest of my life now. I couldn't go back to see my friends or any of my family. I could feel myself welling up at the thought. Life was so uncertain now. I was fearful for the future. Standing there looking like a lost mouse, he limped up to me and put his hand on my arm. Strangely enough I wasn't scared of him. I didn't tense when he touched me. Not meaning to degrade him, but I struggled to believe he was the 'king of Gotham', that this man struck fear in the hearts of people when his name was spoken, that this man was the kingpin of the underworld. Oswald wore a long gold and black robe with a night hat to match, he was a gothic, vampire prince in the making. Sharp spikes of jet black hair clung to his forehead, the same way I remember them doing when I saw him for the first time. His nose was sharp and his eyes were the prettiest eyes I had ever come across, light, hazy green that came with long, delicate eyelashes. He was beautiful. Maybe the most beautiful person I could ever have imagined. 'I trust you're feeling better? Your first kill is always a little unsettling' He then preceded to look down and then smiled. 'Please... join me for dinner.' So, that is exactly what I did.

Food masked the entirety of the table. Fruits, wines, bread rolls, soups, salads, olives, if you can think of it, it was somewhere on the table (anything vegetarian that is!) Never if my life had I seen so much food in one place. You would have assumed that there was going to be a grand dinner party of thirty or forty, but in fact in was only me and Oswald. Oswald sat on the opposite end of the table from me, as the table was so long I doubted whether I would be able to hear him sufficiently. Heat radiated off the fire that was in the centre of the two of us. It was truly glorious. 'Thank you, Oswald, for helping me out and all of this,' I quivered, but I truly meant every word. 'After glugging some wine, he eagerly replied, 'you don't need to thank me, and you… you can stay here if you want, you might have to stay a while though, you're be the gcpds most wanted at the minute.' Shit, he was right, my head fell into my hands as I tried to shake the thought off. 'Oh no, I meant it as a joke,' He looked shocked and apologetic as he went on to explain, 'I mean, it's… it's Gotham for goodness sake, you're the least of their worries… trust me.'

Hours passed as Oswald enticed me with his fantastically thrilling stories and gripping tales of how he became to be the king of the city we both knew and loved. We laughed and ate, although I did not do much of the talking, as I had the constant worry of the gcpd in the back of my mind. However, the huskiness and softness of Oswald's voice and laughter was enough to put me at ease and I occasionally found myself forgetting about my reality as I dazed into his. 'May I propose something?' He spoke as he leaned in closer to the candle light on the table. The delicate glow of the candle mirrored off his ghostly, pale sharp and soft features. His eyes unwillingly captured my own. I was unable to look elsewhere, although I didn't mind because I didn't want to look anywhere else. 'Would you… work for me?' I nervously swallowed some of the bread I was chewing. What could he mean? What would he want me to do? What would he do if I refused? 'It's nothing too morally corrupt,' He smiled and pursed his lips together. His lips were delightfully thin and looked frightfully delicate. For a man of his stature and reputation he was surprisingly feminine, he had no shame and embraced this. The thought alone made my heart palpitate. A moment passed and I almost forgot where I was. 'I can see you're thinking, honestly you have nothing to worry about. All I need is someone who will help me, just to do some small errands, nothing bad. And you can stay here, with me, in my mansion. I, I will hide you and all you have to do is help me somewhat.' Oswald swirled his wine around in the glass then took a sip. I guess it's an offer I can't refuse. 'Okay,' I replied hesitantly, 'what's my first job?' Oswald mischievously smiled then gazed into my eyes from across the table. Oh god, What have I signed up for?


End file.
